Together by Chance
by BananaPeaceMonkeyKarmi
Summary: Squall and Rinoa meet in a club. Then they meet several times later. The only problem is that Rinoa has a boyfriend! Will luck be on Squall and Rinoa's side? And if it is, will things happen later? Just to shake it up? Please answer my Chp 11 questions!
1. Getting Ready

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII. I do own X, X-2, and XII but I borrowed VIII from a friend.

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I. Getting Ready

The raven-haired girl combed through her hair for the third time. She wanted to make sure it was 'just right.' It was their first time being at Zero Gravity, a club in town. They just moved here, to Sundale, California, from San Fracisco. They thought a bit of scenery could be better. And the fact that the college they were now attending was in Sundale. They had thought that maybe getting an apartment in the same town would be more . . . convenient.

As she brushed her hair to fluff it up and donned her rosy lipstick, her sister called from the front room. "Come on, Rinoa! The club closes in like, five hours!"

"I'm coming Quisty! Just wait a sec." Rinoa took one last look at herself and approved. She was wearing a dark blue miniskirt with a light blue tank top. The top stopped right above her navel and the skirt hugged her, showing her

curves perfectly. The jacket she wore was also navy blue, accented with light blue flower designs. The heels she wore were one inch heels that strapped up her leg. They were dark blue. Rinoa nodded. She knew she looked good. Not just good, but sexy.

Grabbing her navy blue clutch, she ran to the front room and spun around in front of Quistis, presenting herself. "So, what do you think?"

Quistis nodded. "You _will _be turning heads tonight." She grabbed her red clutch. She was wearing a red dress that stopped midway down her thigh with red pumps. "Well, let's go find some game!"

* * *

A brown-haired man took a towel to his hair and combed through it. This was just to get tangles out, bu then he shook it and it fell into place. He smirked to himself. He liked his silky brown hair; he almost had a hidden vanity to it. It grew a little long, a bit past his shoulders. He had on a white T-shirt and some black jeans. Checking himself, he slipped on some black shoes, and walked to the front of his apartment. 

Squall shared an apartment with his older brother, Seifer. They both attended Sundale University and for tonight they were headed for a club in town. Zero Gravity was the best place to hangout in town. It was also one of the greatest places to find some friends (or at least Seifer thought so.) Squall never really paid attention to the girls because none of them ever caught his. So, for moral support, Seifer stirred up a bit of a game. They were going to see who could get the most phone numbers by the end of the night. Thw winner got $100 from his brother.

Don't get it twisted. Squall knew plenty about how to smooth talk a girl. He just never really got a chance to do it. The girls either never caught his attention, or they had a boyfriend. Tonight was going to be different. He was going to get more numbers than his brother. Squall was determined not to lose this little game that Seifer had come up with.

When Squall got to the living room, he saw that Seifer had pulled out all the stops. Again. He was wearing faded blue jeans and a tight navy blue T-shirt to show his rippling torso. He was tucking his wallet in his pocket and getting his keys when Squall walked in. He looked at Squall and said, "Dude, if you want to get some numbers and some ass, then you need to put on a new shirt.

Squall shook his head. "My shirt is just fine." This was true. Squall's white T-shirt showed enough muscle to make a woman sigh. "You're the one going overboard. We already draw enough attention to ourselves. Do you have to add to it?"

The feature that Squall was talking about was the mirrored scars that showed across their noses. They had given them to each other in a 'sparring session.' They kind of regretted the scars at first. But when women started to take real notice, they thought of them as a good thing. The opposite sex especially thought of Squall as the more adorable one. He was a year younger and did think that he looked better than his brother. Seifer envied him for this.

Seifer just shrugged. "Hey, I'm arrogant." Squall shook his head and grabbed his wallet. "At least I can say that I'm arrogant and vain. But at least I'm not overly vain. But," he put a hand under his chin and posed, "woman find it heart-fluttering sexy."

Squall looked sideways at his brother. When he glared like this, it could penetrate through anything. "You have your keys, right?" He saw Seifer nod. Opening the door, he stepped half-way out side. "Then shut up and let's go." Seifer laughed and punched Squall on the arm. Squall smirked.

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Author's note: If you have ever played Kingdom Hearts one or two, or have seen the cover of FFVIII, then you know what Squall's hair looks like. And this is my first fic ever, so **_PLEASE R&R!!!!!!_**


	2. Seeing Them

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII. I do own X, X-2, and XII but I borrowed VIII from a friend.

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Rinoa walked into the club, leading her sister. Their were flashing lights, illuminating the darkness, but not by much. The dance floor was in the center, with the DJ's box right above it. She looked around. "Wow, Quisty, you were right. There's plenty of game here, single and taken."

Quistis looked at her. "Only aim for the single ones if you can help it. We don't know these girls down here, and I'd like to win a fight if we get into one." She looked at herself. "Well, it'd be a lot harder to win with this on." She looked at Rinoa. "It'd be hard for you too." Quistis took a glance past Rinoa and turned right back. "Whoa! Stellar hottie alert. We have admirers already and we just walked in."

Rinoa looked at Quistis quizzically and followed her gaze. There across the room, she saw a blonde and, what looked like, and brown-haired man (in the darkness, she couldn't tell.) She could faintly make out the scars that appeared to be across their noses. I _Sexy._Quistis had just walked up beside her. Rinoa turned to her, taking glances at the two, what looked like to her, friends.

Rinoa was the first to break the staring silence."They're sexy, aren't they? I have my eyes on the brunette."

Quistis waved a hand. "You can have him. I want the blonde. He's cuter and obviously more muscular."

Rinoa laughed. "No, what's obvious is that he's wearing a shirt way tighter than his friend." Rinoa looked away and towards the dance floor. "Time to make a first impression."

Squall was barely paying attention to what the girls Seifer brought to their table said. They were boring. Seifer only really liked them because they were pretty. And they had long legs. He was staring off into space when he noticed two women walk in. One was wearing a light blue tank top with a dark blue or black miniskirt. Her jacket was either dark blue or black and had what looked like light blue flower designs. She had heels that were strapped about halfway up her leg and black hair. Squall immediately wanted her after processing her in his mind. He knew he had never been attracted to any woman straight away, and was now aware of this fatal longing.

Seifer was starting to grow impaitient with his brother because he could tell that the girls were. He noticed that Squall was staring off into space and to get his attention, Seifer asked, "So, Squall, do you appreciate what's given to you?" Squall showed no sign of hearing him. "Squall?"

Squall, still staring, answered absent mindedly, "Yeah. Yeah. Sure."

The twins who had been sitting at the table huffed and left, obviously through with Squall's behavior. Seifer sighed and ran a hand through his blounde hair. "Geez man, what's wrong with you? That was the perfect opportunity for you to get their numbers and probably take them home. They were hot!"

Squall took a sideways glance at his brother. In his emerald eyes, he could see the blazing anger. He just shrugged and said, "If you think they're hot, I just found some girls that are on fire. Take a look."

Seifer followed Squall's gaze and a huge grin struck his face. "I always knew you had good eyes. What do they look like? Good friends? Sisters?" He whistled. "Man, they are fine. I call tabs on the brunette with the blue."

Squall glared at Seifer. "I have the brunette. You can have the light brown in red." He turned his attention back to the girls and noticed that they were heading for the dance floor.

Seifer interrupted his thoughts. "So they're dancers," he said, as if making the greatest discovery on this Earth. He nudged Squall and said, "Looks like she's not your type. You know you don't dance."

Squall ignored his brother for the moment. They always played 'Lovestoned' by Justin Timberlake. _Great. Just ironic. _He could see the girl in blue and the one in red were just getting started. He wanted to see how good she could dance.

As soon as they started, Squall knew it was all over. She was good, her and her friend(?)both, but _she_ was better. It was almost as if _she_ was gliding. He looked her up and down, and that was when he noticed she was still in her heels! "How in the world?" he whispered.

Seifer heard him. "She's good alright. And now you're intimidated. I wish you had some guts man."

After about an hour of watching, the two brothers noticed that the brunette was getting off the floor. Seifer looked at her and back to Squall. "I like her. I'm gonna get her before someone else does. But before I go," he took out $10, "I bet you ten dollars they're sisters."

Squall shrugged and did the same. "I bet you ten dollars they're friends."

Seifer and Squall put they're money away at the same time. Seifer smiled and walked away leaving Squall to his thoughts.

Squall looked back at the girl in blue and watched her do a spin. He thought she was beautiful and probably smelled good, too. He liked a woman's scent. It was one of those factors that turned him on.

Just when he was starting to wonder when Seifer would turn up, his brother sat down with the light brunette. He looked up and was ready to pay attention to anything the girl said, along with stealing a few glances at the girl in blue.

Seifer put an arm around the woman's shoulders and she laughed. Squall had to admit that she was pretty, but his mind was still on

Quistis reached out her hand. "Hi. Nice to meet you."

Squall took the offering. "Likewise." He pulled his hand back and asked, "So, who are you here with?"

Seifer smirked. "Yeah. We all want to know and my brother here is way interested in the other girl."

Quistis laughed again. "You are, huh?" She saw Squall glare at Seifer and even she could feel it. "Well, that's my sister, Rinoa."

Seifer chuckled. "Ha ha! Pay up! I told you!"

Squall fished out the ten dollar bill and muttered, "Damn." Giving it to Seifer, his brother snatched it out of his hand and looked at it, making sure it was real. "Dumb ass," Squall muttered again.

Seifer tucked the bill in his pocket. "Who you callin'? You're the one who just lost ten bucks." He turned to Quistis. "So babe, maybe you can give Squall a few pointers on your sister."

Squall glared at him. "No, I'll just watch her. I don't need pointers."

Quistis giggled. "Oh yes you do. My sister is kind of . . . quirky. She's not like everyone else." She looked at Rinoa, Squall happily following her gaze. They could see that as she danced, a circle had formed around her. Obviously, Squall was not the only admirer. "See, while Rinoa's dancing, especially when she gets worked up, you shouldn't bother her. That's when you're sure to get a thumbs down, shake-the-head 'no' answer. Wait until she gets off."

Squall nodded. He wasn't going to get up to a dancing freak anyway. He wasn't sure if he was going to get up at all. But he had to. He knew he had to if he wanted the woman he wanted. Get her before the other bozo did.

After another hour, Squall saw that Rinoa was slowing down. Not off beat, but slowing just a little. _Hey, maybe she's getting tired. _He had stopped listening to Seifer and Quistis about half and hour ago. But the next thing Seifer said got his attention, probably because of the result.

"So, you and your sister are _dancers?_"

He turned just in time to see Quistis slap Seifer and get up to leave. Squall smirked and thought,

Seifer looked amazed at first from the force of that hit. Then he noticed that Quistis was leaving. He got up and tugged on her wrist a little, which made her glare daggers at him. He smiled that devilish smile that made just about any woman sigh. "Come on baby. I was just joshing. I didn't mean. Come on and sit back down."

Quistis looked as if considering, then past Squall. "Here's your chance." The brothers looked confused until they followed her gaze. They all saw that Rinoa was trying to get out of the crowd she was in. When she did, Quistis spoke again. "She's going to the bar. Rinoa likes apple martinis." She grabbed Squall's arm and pulled it. "Come on. Get up. I think she'll like you. And who knows her better than her own sister?"

Squall nodded and got up just as Quistis sat down and and yelled at Seifer for insulting her and he tried to calm her down.

_I am tired. I can't believe that I danced for two hours straight in my heels! Wow. I astonish myself. _The raven-haired girl was struggling to get out off the throng of people that surrounded her. When Rinoa got out, she turned to see theat the dancing was starting back up. As she headed to the bar she thought, _Man, that brown-haired guy kept staring at me. Maybe he's a private admirer._

Sitting at the bar, she ordered an apple martini.

Turning slightly, still sipping on her martini, Rinoa saw the same guy who had been staring at her earlier. Up close, he was _way _sexy. "Well, thank you."


	3. The Conversation

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII. I do own X, X-2, and XII but I borrowed VIII from a friend.

* * *

The man sat down and smiled, receiving his drink and paying the bartender. _God she's fine. And she has a beautiful voice. _He took a gulp of his drink and looked at her. Her hair was just past her shoulders. He still couldn't tell whether or not his clothes or dark blue or black. Maybe he'd ask her . . . 

When he looked into her eyes, he could faintly tell that they were brown and captivating.

When he looked into those eyes, he knew that she was the one.

And he was determined to have her.

Rinoa was also checking him out. She could now tell that his hair was brown, just as she'd suspected. And he had stormy, blue-gray eyes. _His eyes are sooooo lunarious. A rare find, too. _Absorbed in her thoughts, she hadn't heard him speak. "I'm sorry. What was that?"

He laughed. It was a rich, deep laugh. "I said that I haven't seen you around Sundale. Are you from here?"

Rinoa shook her head. "Nope. Just moved here a few weeks ago. Maybe three. My sister and I moved here to attend Sundale University. So what about yourself? You come here often?"

Squall nodded. "Only because my brother, Seifer, drags me along with him."

Rinoa laughed. "To get you a girl, right? Let me guess. Your brother is the smooth-talking, womanizer, playboy type. Am I right?"

Squall nodded again. "Absolutely."

"So, did he succeed yet?"

"Nope."

"Well, isn't that stellar!"

"Stellar? Who says that?"

"Me and my sister."

"Did you get it from someone in Sundale? As far as I know, no one says things like that."

"No one said things like that in San Fransisco, but Quistis and I still say them." She saw him nod and take another gulp of his scotch. "So, what's your name?"

He eyed her for a moment and said, "Squall."

She nodded and held out her hand. "Rinoa." As he shook, she said, "Pleased to meet you."

Squall shrugged. "I knew your name. Your sister told me. Me and Seifer."

Rinoa sipped her martini, all the while looking bewildered. "You've met Quisty?"

Squall nodded again. "So, do you have a nickname?"

"A few, actually. Rin. Noa. And here in this club, I've also adopted the name 'Dancing Raven'. For my dancing and my raven hair." She sipped her drink again. "Why are you over here?"

Squall cocked an eyebrow. "It's a free country. I wanted a drink and I wanted to talk to you. Besides, I'm old enough now. Just got legal last month."

"You say that like you're proud."

"I am. I've been waiting for twenty-one years."

Rinoa laughed. "So, you're starting out hard, huh?"

Squall shook his head. "Actually, I started out on the day I got legal, my birthday. I was having my party at the apartment's pool complex. Seifer rented it out for me. It was thoughtful. And with Seifer, being thoughtful is very, very rare." He took in some more of the Scotch and continued: "I started out with a bottle of beer. Somehow I got to five and passed out . . . right into the pool."

Rinoa, who'd been contianing her amazement, burst out laughing. She sat her martini on the bar to clutch her stomach. It wasn't until she nearly fell off the stool that she took one slender hand to hold the counter while the other was still holding her abdomin. At this, Squall laughed.

"Thar's what you get for laughing at me."

Rinoa finally regained her composure."I'm sorry. But that was funny. Passing out into a pool . . ." she started laughing again.

Squall drank the rest of his Scotch. "It's really not funny. Imagine waking up a few hours later with a terrible hangover, an awful headache, and a cold."

Rinoa stretched a hand out and tweaked his nose. "Oh, I'm sorry, Squallie."

He rubbed his nose. "Don't call me Squallie and don't _ever _touch my face."

Rinoa giggled and leaned in close to him. They were so close that their noses touched and their breath mingled. He was so tempted to kiss her, as she was him. She brushed her lips against his nose and took a slender finger to rub it against his lower lip. His breath caught as she asked, "So I can't even touch that?" It wasn't much, but enough to make her heart jump. She even noticed that he wasn't really breathing. _Wow, I'm that sedutive? _

Squall held her arms and whispered, "That may be the only exception."

He tried to pull Rinoa in to kiss her, but she yanked back quickly. She shook her head and sighed. "I'm sorry Squall. We just met, didn't we?" She saw hi nod and sipped the last of her martini. Getting up to leave, she turned and said, "You were probably wondering, but thos is navy blue." She took a step and stopped. "Oh. Right." Taking a pen from her clutch, she turned back around and took his hand, scribbling something on it. "There's my number. Call anytime." She waved and walked off, smiling.

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Okay, that's Chapter 3!!!!! Sorry that took so long, but I can't get on the computer during the weekday because of school. Then, the computer stopped working becuase my dog knocked it over, so I thought I wouldn't be able to get on this weekend. Luckily, my cousins live right on the street (literally about five houses down, they really drive me crazy) and I had to come to their house anyway. So, I got to work on my fic. YAY!!!!! The next chapter might be up soon, depending on if the computer gets fixed by next weekend. I really don't want to become one of those people who don't update their fics in FOREVER, so I try my best. Hope you like it!!! And the next chapter will blow your socks off (if you're wearing any.) Sometimes, people can be very misleading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . But they don't mean to be. HEhehe. . .

Hmm . . . I might be able to get the next chapter in today . . . depending on how fast I type. . . Hmmmmm . . .


	4. Meeting him

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII. I do own X, X-2, and XII but I borrowed VIII from a friend.

Sorry this took longer than the other chapters. But my computer still isn't working.

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Squall walked down the street thinking about the girl he met on Friday. _Rinoa's really something. Maybe I should have called her over the weekend. _He sighed and walked into Charlie's Baked Goods. They had the best food, or baked goods, in town. He always came here to get a banana nut muffin on his work break. 

Pushing the door, he walked over to the counter and waited. A waitress with black hair and very pale skin came over. At first, she was looking down, searching for notepad, while asking, "Welcome to Charlie's Backed Goods. How may I serve you today?" Finding the notepad, she looked up and gulped. "Squall?!"

He grinned. "Well hello. Let's see, I'd like a banana nut muffin and an explanation. I didn't know you work here."

"Yeah. I just started last . . . Tuesday?" She tapped her nose, thinking, and then nodded. "Yep. Last Tuesday. So, do you come here often?"

"Nearly everyday. Charlie even calls me his best customer sometimes. How have you been, Noa?"

Rinoa smiled. "Fine. I got some of my books for my classes." She looked around and said, "Listen, I can't stand here and talk to customers all day, so I'll be back, all right?"

Squall nodded. As she turned to leave he called, "Hey! Can a add a chocolate chip muffin to that, too?" He saw her nod and went over to a booth.

Rinoa came back within five minutes and presented him wth his order. "Her's your banana nut and chocolate chip muffins." She winked and added, "I would've thorwn in some milk, but then Charlie would have had a stroke. Thanks for your patronage."

When she turned to leave, Squall grabbed her wrist gently. She looked at him and he said, "You want to knoiw how to really thank me?" Rinoa tilted her head and Squall chuckled. "Sit down and eat the snack that I've bought for you."

She looked at the muffins, now realizing why he bought two, and laughed. "Well, you can't expect me to just sit down. I have to tell my manager that I'm going on break."

Squall nodded and watched Rinoa as she turned around to leave. He really wanted the banan nut muffin, but Rinoa preferred that over the chocolate chip, he'd give it up.

The next thing he heard was a pan drop and Charlie's furious yelling. He couldn't really tell what Charlie was saying, but he sounded very angry. _I really hope Rinoa's not getting in trouble because of me._ Then he saw Rinoa coming out out of the kitchen. when she approached him, he asked, "You weren't the one getting yelled at, were you?"

Rinoa sat down and giggled. "No. There was this girl who dropped this pan with this really nice, special dough and Charlie got totally pissed. Can I have the chocolate chip?"

Squall sighed in relief. "Sure."

Rinoa smiled. "Thanks." Taking a bite, she looked up at the ceiling. _Hmm . . . I didn't know I could cook this good. _She looked at Squall and noticed that he wasn't eating but looking at her. She swallowed and giggled. "I hope you didn't come here to waste your money. Are you going to eat or what?" Squall nodded. Rinoa noticed that he was staring off into space. "I . . .I made these myself. Eat it, willya?"

Squall loked down at it cautiously. Picking it up, he inspected it and took a bite. Chewing slowly, he looked up into Rinoa's searching chocolate eyes and smiled. He started to nod, but then grasped his neck. He coughed lightly, so that he wouldn't get food on the table.

Rinoa looked at Squall with concern. She leaned over and asked, "Squall?" He looked up at her and coughed some more. "Squall? Squall?! Are you okay?" She got up and walked over to the other side of the table. Luckily, they didn't have a lot of customers at this time of day. It was only 11:30.

.As she got to him, he stopped coughing and swallowed. He looked up at her and she was so addled, that he had to laugh. Rinoa titled her head as he told her, "Sit down Rinoa. I'm fine." He wtached her she slowly approached her seat, but not sit down.

Rinoa eyed him suspiciously. "Are you sure you're okay? You were pretty bad a minute ago."

Squall nodded. "Actully, I wasn't choking. I just wasnted to see if you cared."

She straightened. "You what?!" Squall looked at her as she came up to him, hands on her hips. "Well, you wanna see how _much_ I care?" She took one slender handand hit the back of head - hard. Of course, she heard him say 'Ow.' He didn't yell it or anything. He just merely said it.

Squall looked to see Rinoa turned around, walking back to the kitchen. As she walked, he heard her mutter, "Jerk." At that, he got up and took her wrist gently. As she glared at him, he said, "Noa, I'm sorry for scaring you like that. Just come back and sit, alright?"

She glared at Squall for a little while longer na dthen her eyes softened. _Damn those stormy eyes of his. _"Okay. Don't ever do that again. Understand?" He nodded and she sat down, finishing her muffin. "So, is it good?"

Squall finished his muffin and said, "No." He watched her face fall as she looked down at the table. He smiled and continued, "It's terribly . . . wonderful." Rinoa looked up and her brigth smile could be seen plastered across her face.

As she looked at him, he reached across and took her hand. She looked down startled and said, "I have about ten minutes left on this break." She saw his smlie widden and his grasp got tighter. "Listen, Squall, I like you and everything, but there just one problem with this." He looked concerned and she muttered, "I have a . . . boyfriend."

Instead of being mad like she expected, he laughed. She looked at him surprised as he asked, "You just moved here and you have a boyfriend? What's his name? I might know him."

Rinoa sighed in relief at his easiness and explained, "Well, his name's . . . Ethan!" She suddenly yelled and stood up.

Squall turned around and scowled. Remembering that he was in Rinoa's presence, he returned to his previous mature, just a little tense. _Ethan . . . _Squall _hated _him. Well, maybe not hated, but he loathed him. Very much. He'd had too many bad experiences with that guy. Because of them, he didn't necessarily like him. At all.

Rinoa left the booth, walked over to Ethan, and took his hand. She led him over to the booth and sat back down, him sliding in next to her. He wasn't the cutest thing. Shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes. Ethan wasn't the cutest thing, but he wasn't totally unfortunate looking, either. He took a look at Squall and waved. Squall only nodded.

Ethan returned his attention to Rinoa and put a finger under her chin. "Hey babe," he greeted and kissed her right there in front of Squall. He had to turn away; he couldn't look at it. It was almost as if it hurt inside.

When Ethan pulled away, Rinoa giggled and looked at Squall, who seemed to be staring off into space again. "I"m sorry. Squall, this is my boyfriend, Ethan. Ethan, this is my friend, Squall." Both men only grunted. "So you know each other?" This time, she got a nod. She sighed and said, To answer your question, Squall," he looked up, "I met Ethan about three months ago . . . at a club." She laughed and both men looked at her. It seems as if I meet a lot of people in clubs. Anyway, Ethan was up there to visit his cousin and I met him at a library later on. We kind of went on from there. We kept in touch by using the phone and sometimes he came to visit me." Rinoa looked at each of the two men. "So how do you two know each other?"

Squall answered first. "Dorms at the University."

Ethan smiled. "Yeah. Hey, Rin, you said, you two were just friends, right?" Rinoa nodded. "Good. Just make sure _he_ knows that."

Squall got up at that and left the booth. Rinoa got up after him , but he shook his head. "I needed to be back to work by 11:50 anyway." He walked out of the bakery thinking, _Poor Noa. _

Rinoa sat down ans asked, "Now why did you have to go and say that? He knows we're just friends."

Ethan waved a hand. "Sure he does. Now do you want to know about Squall and I's 'companionship'?" Rinoa nodded and ethan continued: "Well, we were roommates and Squall enjoyed the party/girls lifestyle. It didn't work out." Ethan shrugged. "He was always gone, or in our room with a girl. It really got on my nerves and he said I complained too much, so he left." He got a 'Hmm' from Rinoa and put a hand on her thigh. Sliding it up slowly, he asked, "So, baby, what do you say about meeting me tonight?" He kissed her nack and when his hand went to the inside of her thighs, Rinoa yelpde and jumping, hitting and underside of the table.

Ethan looked angry and surprised while Rinoa looked startled. "Listen, Ethan, I have to go back to work. Charlie'll have a fit if I don't com back now."

"Rinoa!!!!!"

"See?" Rinoa gave Ethan a quick kiss and jumped up, running toward the kitchen. Right before she entered, she turned around to see Ethan leaving. "Ethan!" she called. "He turned around and she yelled, "I can't tonight. I have to get more books for my classes! Sorry!"

"RINOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Coming Charlie!!"

* * *

Okay, I am seriously sorry about not updating in so long! My stupid computer still isn't working and it costs too much to get it fixed, so I might have to wait until Christmas when I get a new one! I know, that sucks. But I'll try my best to get these chapters to you people. I really hope it was worth the wait.

Once again, I'm terribly sorry!!!!!


	5. The Library Incident

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII. I do own X, X-2, and XII but I borrowed VIII from a friend.

Thank you for being so outrageously patient with me! I really appreciate it.

* * *

Later that evening, Rinoa was in the library at Sundale University. She had a whole stck of books that was hard to see past, so she had to walk slowly, making sure no one ran into her and she ran into no one. Just when she thought she was almost to the front, someone ran into her. Bending down to pick up her books, she said, "I'm really sorry about that." Looking up, her eyes met those all too familiar stormy ones helping her. "We run into each other a lot, don't we?" 

Squall nodded and helped her carry someof them to the check out desk. "Yeah, we do." When she had them all checked out, he helped her to her car. "So you met Ethan up in San Fransisco?"

She looked surprised at the sudden change in subject and nodded. When she finished putting them in the back, she answered, "Yep. We got pretty close."

"I see. you don't thing you got too close, to fast?"

Rinoa looked bewildered. "Squall, I know my boyfriend. We're fine. We've had arguement before, but what couple doesn't?"

Squall nodded. "Okay. But are you sure you love him?"

"For one, that's between me and Ethan. Let me ask you something: Are you sure you were in love with all those girls you spent you time with last colledge year?"

He stared at her with wide, blue-grey eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Rinoa huffed. "You know good and damn well what I'm talking about. Ethan told me all about your wild side of colledge last year. I wouldn't be surprised if you had fifty girlfriends right now."

"What?! You actually believe that crap that Ethan told you? In my lifetime, I've only had one girlfriend and in colledge, I stayed on my books. You've got it all wrong Rinoa. I don't like girls the way Ethan does."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that Ethan lied to you. He's the one that was always with girls, not me. He's playing you, Rinoa, and you're too damn blind and stubborn to see it."

She slapped him. They were getting attention in the parking lot, but she didn't care. "Don't you ever insult me or Ethan like that. _Ever._ Ethan wouldn't lie to me. Besides, why should I believe you? I've only known you for three days."

"You didn't know Ethan for that long befroe you started dating." His glare met hers and he sighed. "I needed to go anyway." He walked off in the opposite direction.

Rinoa stared off after him and got into ehr car, wiping away her tears. _Who the hell does he think he is? Ethan wouldn't lie to me. Not anymore. He promised he wouldn't._

* * *

Squall drove home in his black convertable. He was seething in anger. It wasn't really Rinoa who made him angry, but Ethan. If he hadn't told Rinoa that lie, then she wouldn't be so mad at him. _And she definantly wouldn't have slapped me. God, that hurt. _He wasn't very accoustumed to women slapping him because he always tried to stay on their good side.

When Squall unlocked the front door to their apartment, he immediatly knew that his brother wasn't home. When Seifer was, he was making a kuckus of some kind. Whether it was blasting the radio or his tv, he was always making noise. _Must be on a date with Quistis._ He shook his head. Squall always thought that Seifer rushed into too many relationships, too fast. This was probably going to be no different. But, Seifer's life was Seifer's life, and it was none of his business.

Squall put the very few books that he got into his room and sat on his bed. He thought about calling Rinoa and apoligizing to her about the insult and butting in, but decided against it. He wanted to give her some time to sort through her feelings and get out of her confusion. _Rule number six._


	6. Together

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII. I do own X, X-2, and XII but I borrowed VIII from a friend.

* * *

The next day was slighty the same. When Squall went on his break, he went to Charlie's, half-hoping that Rinoa wouldn't be his waitress. She wasn't, but he did see her. When she did look at him, he waved slightly, and she gave him a small smile in return. But it didn't seem to Squall like Rinoa was the same cheery person that he'd known yesterday (earlier) or at the club. She seemed sad or depressed about something. Maybe she felt guilty about slapping him? . . . Squall sure hoped so.

* * *

When Squall parked his black convertabile in the parking lot of the complex, he looked around and saw a blue BW Bug. He had never really seen it before, but then again, he never looked around the parking lot either. Some instinct told him to. _That car looks familiar. Could it be? . . ._ He shook his head, dismissing the thoughts while walking into the main lobby of the complex toward the elevator. 

When the elevator let him off onto his floor, he half-walked, half-ran to his apartment. Unlocking it, he was semi-disappionted to see that no one was there but Seifer. He was getting his keys and heading out of the door. Of course, he had to stop because Squall was blocking it.

Seifer looked at Squall and asked, "Um . . . Is there a problem?"

Squall cocked an eyebrow."Date with Quistis?"

"Yes. Now can you move before I make you?"

"Like you could," Squall muttered under his breath.

Seifer pushed past him, and before he got to the elevator, Squall asked him, "Hey, where do Rinoa and Quistis live?"

Seifer, trying to rush, said, "Floor eight. Apartment 307." He disappeared into the elevator.

Squall stepped back into his apartment. _They live here?! _He shook his head, picked up the phone, and dialed a number. _Maybe I should call Rin._ The phone rung about three times before someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Rin. It's Squall."

At first, when she picked up, Rinoa souded sad. Now it seemed as though she's perked up a bit. "Oh. Hey Squall!" There was a pause and then she said, "Oh. Okay. Bye."

"What? I didn't say anything."

"Oh, Squall, I wasn't talking to you. Quistis was just leaving. Date with Seifer, you must know."

"Yeah. So, um, hey listen-"

"Listen, Squall. I need to go.

My mind is on other things and this conversation would be very boring right now becuase of that. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay. By Rinoa."

"Bye, Squallie!" She tried to end on a happy note, but it didn't fool Squall.

He put the phone down and grabbed his jacket. _I'm gonna pay Noa a visit. _

_

* * *

_

Rinoa put the phone down and sat on her bed. Sniffing, she thought about what she said to Squall. _My mind is definantly in another place. _She picked up the card that Ethan sent her at work. It said:

_Rinoa,_

_We must get past all of this. I know what I did is wrong, but I promise, I swear to you, that I will not so it again. Please, forgive me._

_Ethan._

Scowling, she balled it up and threw it in the trash. _Ethan's full of it. He already promised me that he 'wouldn't do it again'. Then he turns around, and does it again! I swear, that man . . . _She broke down into tears. About two minutes later, there was a knock at her door. Wiping her face, she walked up to the front and said, "Listen, if you think you can just waltz up here and ask me to forgive you then-" She looked up and saw those all too familiar stormy eyes and scar and floppy brown hair. "Squall? What are-Hi-What are you doing here?"

He smiled that devilish, heart-warming smile. "Well, you sounded-" He looked at her with searching blue-grey eyes and asked, "Have you been crying?"

Rinoa looked away, wiping her eys and sniffing. "N-no."

Squall shook his head. "Yes, you have. Now, come and sit down and tell me." He took her hand and sat down in the sofa of the living room. With Rinoa facing him on his right side, Squall asked, "What's wrong? You sounded sad on the phone." He glanced at the ceiling and mumbled, "Even when you called me Squallie."

Rinoa laughed. "I know you told me not to call you that, but it's hard to resist."

Squall nodded. "Okay, but would you like it if I called you Rinny?"

She giggled. "Please don't call me that. No one has called me that since our mom died."

"Okay then. Now tell me what's wrong."

Rinoa looked at Squall for a long moment and said, "I broke up with Ethan." He gave her a quizzing look and she said, "He cheated on me with some slut named Rebecca." She sniffed and asked, "Do you want me to start from the beginning?"

"It's really none of my business." He shrugged. "I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"Please. Don't leave. I need to tell someone." She looked into his eyes with pleading chocolate ones. Shacking her head vigourously, her hands reached her face amd she said, "I tried to tell Quistis, bbut all she said was 'I told you so' and stuff like that. She"- sniff- "She doesn't understand!"

Squall looked down at Rinoa, not exactly knowing what to do. He thought he had options: A. Hold her. B. Hold her and kiss her. C. Make out with her until she succombs to sexual desire. Hmm . . . he liked C, but decided that was more his brother's style, and Squall didn't feel like getting slapped again. He actuall didn't want to offend her period. Point blank. So, he decided on Option A.

Grabbing her hand, he pulled her close to his chest and held her there for a few moments. Rinoa was startled at first, but then gratefully wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled up against him.

"Squall?" she whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Dp you want to hear the whole story?"

"Do you want to tell me?" he murmured.

He flet her nod against his upper torso, and then she whispered, "Yes."

"Then tell me." He took the risk of kissing her hair. She seemed to not have minded at all. Actually, she hugged him tighter. He stiffened and let go of her, frightened the poor girl. She looked at him with those pleading orbs and he smiled, saying, "It's hot." Then he took off his jacket.

As soon as it was off of him, she thrust herself back into his arms. He didn't mind and patted her back, a cue for her to start.

She took a deep breath and said, "Well, first off, I want to apologize for slapping you at the library yesterday. You were right about Ethan. He lied at the bakery about you," she looked up at him, "didn't he?" Squall nodded and she sighed. "You were right about me, too. I _am_ blind." She snuggled up to his chest more as he hugged her tighter. Taking a deep breath, Rinoa continued: "When I met Ethan in San Fransisco, he wasn't seeing his cousins. He was meeting up with his two girlfriends! Then he got me involved. All he really wanted from me, though, was sex. And when he saw he couldn't get it, he went and found other entertainment. When I first found out, it was the first month of our relationship. I don't know just how long he'd been with her, but it had been a while. And it wasn't just a kiss or a date, Squall. It was sex. SEX! I was totally devasted, but then he promised me to never do it again."

She sniffed and sighed. "I felt-no-feel like a prize. I trophy or item that was just added to the rack." She started to sob and Squall kissed her hair again. "Is that really all I am?"

He chuckled and she looked up at him. When her head moved, he stopped and stared intently into her eyes. "No. No, Noa, that's not all you are. Now, tell me something." She cocked her head to one side and he asked, "Why are you so upset? I mean, I think I know, but I want to hear it from you."

"Don't you see? I'm not upset because I broke up with him. I'm upset because of what he did and how much it hurt me."

"I'm pretty sure I wouldn't hurt you," Squall mumbled.

Rinoa's head shot up and she stared at him, surprise filling every inch of her face. He stared back at her like he hadn't said a thing. "Squall?! You didn't-Holy geez- You didn't just say that!"

Squall smirked. "Yes, Rinoa, I did." He place a finger under her chin and lifted her head gently so that she had to look at him. Her eyes almost sparkled with desire and hope. Squall bent down and kissed her gently, her face cupped in his hands. Her arms found their way around his neck and they stayed like this for a while until the lock on the door started to turn. Jumping, they released their grip and Rinoa grabbed the remote, turning on the tv, Squall wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

When the door opened, in walked Quistis and Seifer , half-surprised to see Squall there. They all gave each other warm 'Hi's and 'How was it?'s and 'What did you do?'s. When each greeting had been exchanged, Seifer went outside and waited by the door for his brother.

Squall kissed Rinoa on the cheek and asked, "Do you want to go somewhere with me tomorrow?"

She nodded. "Sure."

"Okay. Pack a bag for . . . three days and two nights and meet me in the lobby around four."

She got up as he walked out of the door and down the hallway. "Hey, where are we going?"

While walking, Squal turned around and said, "I'll tell you tomorrow, just pack a bag! See you later!"

When Rinoa stepped back inside of her apartment, Quisits was right there. "Ohh. Long stellar date with Squall tomorrwo, huh?"

"Yeah. And I don't even know where we're going. Guys can be so inky sometimes."

* * *

Oh yeah! I'm on a role to have gotten two updates within the last four days. . . Or was it five? . . . Well, it doesn't matter. I got updates. Now, only . . . six more to go!!!!

Oh. Remember that question I asked at the beginning of Chp 3? The one about 'Do you like this Squall?' Yes, I know he seems a bit OOC-ish, but he'll get better-don't worry. And I'm sorry if there isn't enough detail, but if you read my profile page . . . well, you know I'm working on other things. The only reason why I even got an update today was because I had to go to my uncle's house and use their computer for this vocabulary project I have. So, school can actually come in handy sometimes. The rest of this fic has been written, along with the beginning of another one, so I will try to update soon. Like I said before, keep hope and faith in me, BananaPeaceMonkey! (If you ever want to find out how in heaven's name I got this name, look at my profile. It's weird( in a good way!)).

Or, BPM, like the gas company . . . well, they're just BP, but you get my drift.

And, no, I didn't think about naming myself after a gas company until I got to, like, the thrid chapter. So . . . yeah . . . ignore that ramble if you please. I tend to go off in tangents sometimes. Sorry.


	7. The Trip

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII. I do own X, X-2, and XII but I borrowed VIII from a friend.

I cannot believe I got two updates in one day! Horray me!

* * *

Rinoa waited in the lobby. Tapping her foot, she looked at her watch again. 3:57. If she wanted to, she could say that he was late. But she couldn't. Why? _Well, he did say around four. Maybe I'm just a bit early._

She waited for another five minutes and huffed. _If he doesn't show up- _"Aaah!" Her eyes were covered and she stood up, startled. "Who-" At that moment, she could see again and was turned around. Smiling, Rinoa said, "For a minute there, I thought you stood me up."

Squall smiled back and kissed her. When he pulled away, he asked, "Now why would I stand you up?" Hefting a bag onto his back, he said, "Now shall we be going?" She nodded and he led her outside.

They walked over to his black convertablie and Squall unlocked the door. Popping the trunk, he put his bag in and took Rinoa's, doing the same. When that was done, he looked up to see Rinoa's hand on the car door. Shaking his head, he walked over to her and opened it. She smiled and got in while he closed the door behind her.

Walking around to his own side, he got in to see her looking around. She opened the glove compartment and said, "This is a nice car." Closing it, she added, "But, if you don't mind me saying, it's hot, especially with the leather seats."

Squall laughed. "Okay then. I'll fix that." Pressing a button on the side of his door, the ceiling of the car folded and descended behind them. Rinoa's mouth was agape. She shook her head and closed her mouth. He smiled. "Impressed?" She nodded slightly and admired how his hair flapped wildy around his head in the wind. Taking her purse, she dug around for a ponytail holder so that her hair wouldn't get out of order. Finger-combing it back, she secured it there. Turning to look at Squall, who's beautiful eyes were on the road, she asked, "So. Where exactly are we going?"

He looked at her for a quick moment before turning back to the road. "You'll see." Glancing, he saw the look she was giving him and laughed. "Don't worry. I'm not taking you away to rape you or something. I'll keep you as a virgin for just a little longer, okay?" He saw her stick her tongue out and stared straight ahead, arms folded across her chest. He chuckled at this and reached out, gently running a hand across her cheek. She glanced at him quickly and sighed. He put his hand back on the steering wheel and accelerated when the light turned green. "So, do you have all of your books yet?" He asked, changing the subject.

She nodded. "Yeah. The day we 'ran into each other' at the library, I had gotten them all." She looked up at the ceiling and thought for a moment. "Well, the rest of them." Rinoa then looked at him. "Don't think I've forgotten about what you said, either."

Squall exhaled through his teeth. "Rin, I said I was joking."

"No you didn't."

He shook his head. "Well, now I'm saying it."

"Saying what?"

"That I'm joking."

She stared at him, mouth set agape again. "About not raping me?!"

Squall laughed and this time, Rinoa laughed with him. "No. I mean . . . I wasn't joking, but in a way, I was." He looked at her for a quick moment. "Do you see what I'm trying to say? I really don't want to offend or anything."

She smiled. "I know. I was just joking around with you, too."

For the rest of the ride, they talking about their classes and freetime. In about twenty minutes, they were pulling up to a house.

Rinoa got out and looked around. Squall handed her her bag as she whispered, "Where are we?"

Squall wrapped an arm around her hip. "My friend, Zell, went out of town. He left me to house-sit." He grinned at her. "Yes, I'm that responsible. It's only for three days."

Rinoa gave him a skeptic look. "You're good at concealing things." He gave her that 'What-do-you-mean?' look. "Remember at the bakery? You orderd two muffins and didn't tell me who the other one was for until _after _I got it for you. I don't think that's mere coincedence, do you?"

Squall smiled. "Come on, let me give you a tour inside."

They looked around for about half an hour. Rinoa would stop and ask questions and Squall would explain things in the best way that he could (sometimes, he didn't even understand Zell). Once she stopped and asked about a picture when she saw one of Squall, Seifer, another guy with blond hair, and one with long reddish-brown hair.

"The guy with the tattoo on the side of his face is Zell. He's a real go-getter; not really afraid of anything . . . well almost anything. He's intimidated by Seifer. Despite my brother, Zell is probably my best friend." He looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing. "The other is Irvine. He's all talk. Sometimes, he does what he says, but I'd say he has a temper and an eye for women . . . Lots of them." Rinoa giggled. "But he's mostly talk."

They finished touring and Squall showed her the guest room-which would also be their room for the next three days. After unpacking all their stuff, Rinoa asked, "So, what are we going to do now?"

* * *

Okay, who's proud of me?!

For being so very patient with me and my non-working computer (grr), this is the present my readers get. Thank you so very much for your patience and your support. I love you all,

BananaPeaceMonkey.

God, that felt like an exceptnace speech or something. I really need to get a grip on reality. Or else its going to slap me in the face. Really hard. So hard that it knocks me over.

Okay, I'm done. . . . . For now . . .


	8. Decieving or decieved?

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII. I do own X, X-2, and XII but I borrowed VIII from a friend.

So, does anyone like this Squall? Don't worry, he gets better in thsi chapter, just like I promised.

* * *

They walked around, conversing and getting know the neighbors. On several occasions, they were invited to share dinner or breakfast with a neighbor or two. They also got closer and cherished their moments together.

On the thrid day, Rinoa woke up with Squall arms around her waist. She yawned and stretched, him stirring beside her. When she snuggled up to his chest and took in his scent, she sighed. Rinoa loved his smell. It was a kind of sweet, musky odor and she found it wonderful.

She sat up and heard him yawn. Looking back, Rinoa smiled at Squall and he smiled back. He yawned again and sat up, holding her close to him. "Good morning," he murmured.

"Morning!"she whispered. "Aren't we leaveing today?"

He let her go and responded, "Yeah. I'm gonna take you back home." Getting up, he stretched and heard a sigh escape from Rinoa's lips. He looked at her and asked, "What? You've already seen my chest before. You've even slept on it. What are you sighing about?"

She shook her head. "Squall, you're a man. You don't understand how it feeld for a woman to see a man with such a beautiful torso." And beautiful it was. Supreme pecks, rock-hard abs. "Any woman would surely kill for what I have." _And I'm very glad to have it._

Squall laughed. "Well, it's almost the same for us guys, you know. Can you imagine what goes through my mind everytime I see or hold you?" She shook her head. "Exactly." He took a shirt from out of his bag and tossed it onto the bed. Walking, he took slow, deliberate stpes toward Rinoa and watched her as she giggled. He stopped right in front of her and looked down into her eyes. Taking her hips into his hands, Squall threw her and himself onto the bed and she laughed. He could fell the silkiness of her pale blue nightgown against his skin. Taking a glance at the beautiful mass that was underneath him, he kissed her as she laughed. It stopped very abrubtly and was reduced to giggles under his lips. He stopped and kissed her cheek and jawbone, working his way down to the base of her throat. Rinoa's breathe caught as she wondered why he was doing this.

"Squall . . .," she whispered, but it wasn't like he heard her. And if he did, it seemed to her that he was taking it as an invitation to go on.

He kissed her collarbone and went down as far as her gown would allow him, which was the start of the valley between her breasts. When he kissed her there, she gasped and let it out as a shuddering breathe. His warm lips came back up and at her pulse point, Rinoa found herself wrapping her arms around his neck. He came back across her jaw, up her cheek, and kissed her lips. Her hands came down to his face and he started to crush her. When he finally withdrew himself, they were both panting. Rinoa's chocolate orbs were wide with disbelief and wonder. He smiled at her and bent down, his mouth at the top of her jawbone, right under her ear. He whispered against her skin, "What did you think I was going to do?"

She tried to breathe evenly, but it came out as gasps. He chuckled, his hot breath still at the base of her ear. "Well, I thought you were going to . . . you know . . ."

Squall sighed and came back up to look at her. "I thought you wouldn't want it. Either that or you're not ready."

"I'm probably not ready. Why do you think I never did it with Ethan?"

"Because you knew he cheated on you."

"Oh yeah." Squall rolled off of her and she sat up. He stood to put on his shirt and then he slid on some pants. She pulled an outfit from her bag and started to dress. Anxiously, she looked at him, but he wasn't staring like she thought he would. Respectfully, he had turned the other way. When she was done, she walked over to him and said, "Thanks for not looking."

He turned around and gave her that one-sided smile she loved. "You're welcome," he said, kissing her forehead. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah."

"Well, go wait for me in the front room. I'll be up there in a minute. Just have to check around."

"Okay," she said cheerily, and grabbed her bag.

When she reached the pool room, she heard a familiar voice say, "Hello, Rinoa."

* * *

Squall was getting everything in his bag and straightening up Zell's guest room. He didn't need to hear his mouth when he got back from seeing his mom. When he saw that everything wsa in order, he started for the front, calling Rinoa's name. He didn't get an answer, and when he walked into the pool area, he understood why.

Rinoa was lip-locked with another man, the both of them leaning against the pool table. He scowled and put a hand on the guy's shoulder, turned him around. For a quick moment, Squall looked amazed. Then he growled, "Leave. Now."

The guy shrugged and turned back to Rinoa. "Later babe."

Rinoa looked up, wiping her lips. "Bye Ethan." He left and Rinoa caught the look that Squall was giving her. "Listen, it's not what you think-"

He held up a hand and opened the door. "That's what they all say." Rinoa walked near the door and stopped as she pasted him. Plead and fear filled her chocolate orbs, but he wasn't buying it. He glared down at her until she had to look away and keep walking. Waiting and looking around to see if anything else was out of place, he closed the door and left.

* * *

They rode in silence. Squall drove, staring straight ahead, his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel. Rinoa stared at her lap, playing with her hands. After about ten minutes, she took a quick glance at Squall, who was still looking out at the road.

Taking a breath she whispered, "It really wasn't what it looked liked."

He looked at her for a moment before saying, "I really don't want to hear it."

Rinoa looked up at him. "But it wasn't! Do you really think I'd kiss Ethan?!"

"I really don't know anymore, Rinoa."

She was gaping. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. "What are you saying, Squall?"

He took a deep breath and said quietly, "I don't think I can do this."

"Do what? Our relationship?"

He exhaled loudly through his nose, nostrils flraing. "What relationship?! We've been _together_ for three or four days, and you've been playing me!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

"All I _know _is that you and Ethan were kissing. That says enough."

"But Squall-"

He glared at her while they were at red-light. "I don't want to hear it anymore. We're over." Pushing the gas, they sped toward the apartment building.

When they got to the parking lot, he parked close to the door and got out. Rinoa opened her door and got out, getting her bag from the trunk. They walked inside, taking the elevator to the eighth floor.

When it stopped, the doors opened and Rinoa took a deep breath. She looked up at Squall, her pleading chocolate orbs burning through his skin. He sighed and stuck his arm out, halting the doors from closing. Squall shook his head, his last and final way of saying _No. _He watched Rinoa as her lower lip quivered and she walked out to her apartment.

* * *

Oh yes! Three in one day!

And all I'm going to say is- Look at the chapter title . . . . . . . . Look carefully. . . . .


	9. Together again?

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII. I do own X, X-2, and XII but I borrowed VIII from a friend.

So, did you look at the headline (or title) of the previous chapter? I hope you did or else this won't be as good because you didn't get to think about it.

Ya know, maybe I should've waited a couple of days to update, just to get you thinkin' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Naw, I won't do that to you!

And now for the conclusion . . . . . . . to the previous chapter!

* * *

Rinoa unlocked the door to her apartment as Squall disappeared beyond the elevator doors. She took in a sharp breath and opened the door. Running in, she dropped her bag in the front room, rushed past Quistis, and went straight to her room. Rinoa locked the door and jumped on her bed, crying. She just couldn't believe it. She couldn't.

The man she didn't even know she was dreaming about was gone.

And it was all because of her stupid, jealous, over-obsessive, ex-boyfriend. _He had plenty of girl-friends and lovers. We did he have to pick me, of all people, to go after when we broke up? Why me? _Her head was buried in her pillow, the tears flowing freely. She didn't care if Quistis unlocked her door and came in and heard her. Rinoa just wanted to let it all go.

* * *

His knuckled were slightly bruised, but he didn't care. He was pissed. Totally hacked off. That didn't give him any right to punch the wall of the elevator, but what the hell; he did it anyway. How would anybody find out that it was him?

Squall got off on the eleventh floor and walked down to apartment 276. Opening the door, he walked to his room, completly ignoring Seifer, and put his bag on his bed. Taking all the dirty clothes out, he put them in a black hamper at the front of the room. _I gotta remember to take those to the laundry room._

While sorting through all his other necessities to see where they need to go, Seifer walked into the room, chewing on the last bit of a sandwich. He swallowed it, waited for about five seconds, and then burped. Squall looked at him in disgust.

"Do you mind? I'd like for my room to stay clean and I don't want roaches because of your crumbs."

Seifer leaned on the doorway. "You're already obsessive-compulsive. Don't spread it to me." He ducked when a show was thrown at his face. "So, how was your trip?"

"Do I look happy?"

"Aw, she didn't want to screw you, did she?"

This time, a shirt landed on Seifer's head. He took it off hurridly to recieve a shoe square in his face.

"No, stupid ass, it wasn't that. I didn't even try to ask her about sex. She wasn't ready anyway. Not like it matters; we're through." He continued to sort through his things.

"Dude, you broke up with her?! Why?"

"Is it your business?"

"I'll ask Quistis. You know Rinoa'll tell her."

The younger of the two glowered at the older and sighed. "She's been playing me. You remember Ethan?"

"Yeah. The kid that ran you out of the dorms?"

Squall ignored the insult and continued, "He was Rinoa's ex-boyfriend. Or so I thought."

"No way."

"Yeah. We're about to leave Zell's and I ask her to go and wait for me. So she goes and I check around. When I get to the front, I find her and Ethan tougue-tied in the pool room. Then I told him to leave and Noa tries to tell me that it wasn't what it looked like. We argued more about it in the car, but in the end, I broke with her."

Seifer looked thoughtful. "You know what I noticed?" His brother looked at him and the blond said, "You called her by her nickname. You still care."

Squall scoffed. "That's besides the point. We're over and it's not even my fault."

* * *

"So he broke up with you?!"

"Yeah, and its not even my fault. See, Ethan came in and under his jacket he had a small knife. He told me he'd cut me if I didn't listen. So, I asked him about what he wanted and . . ."

* * *

Rinoa walked into the pool room and heard a familiar voice say behind her, "Hello Rinoa."

She spun around quickly before getting the chance to him as he slammed her against the wall. The _thud _wasn't loud; if it had been, Squall would have run in by now. His hand was at her throat and she managed to gasp, "What . . . do you . . . want?"

Ethan smiled that devilish smile and glance down. She followed his gaze and saw a small blade in his hand, under his jacket. Her eyes were wide with fear as he whispered in her ear, "I don't want anything but you, and if you don't listen, I'll cut that pretty neck of yours." Ethan kissed the base of her throat and worked his way up slowly. Whn he heard the approaching footsteps that he knew to be Squall's, he swirved himself and Rinoa around to lean against the pool table. She wouldn't kiss him, so he started to attack her tougue with more feriousity until she whimpered in protest. That was when Squall spun him around and . . . .

* * *

"After that, Squall asked Ethan to leave. Then he gave me that hurt 'How-could-you?', angry 'This-is-just-great-that-you've-been-playing-me', and final -We're-through' look. I tried to explain, but he wouldn't listen."

Quistis put a hand on her younger sister's shoulder. "Sweetie, did you really expect to listen?"

Rinoa shook her head. "No, but at least I tried. I really want to work this out, but I know he won't talk to me."

Quistis tapped her chin. "Hmm . . . That is a bad predicament . . ."

Rinoa gave her a skeptic look. "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing. Hey, get settled. I'll make us some brownies to go with the gallon of ice icream I'm about to buy. How does that sound?"

The raven-haired girl smiled at her sister. "Thanks Quisty."

The older shrugged. "No problem. I'll be back."

* * *

In her car, Quistis dialed a number and waited. It rang about three times before someone actually answered. "Hello?"

"Hey babe. We need to talk."

* * *

All right!!!!!! One update on Friday, three more yesterday. Man, I'm on fire.

Who's ever seen that movie? 'Man on Fire'? I haven't gotten through all of it yet, but its pretty good in the parts that I have seen.

So, what's gonna happen next? What is Quistis planning? Will it be successful? Tune in next time . . . or into the next chapter . . . And please, review on your way out! (Ya gotta love that 'And its not even my fault' line. I sure as heck do!)

See ya faithful readers!


	10. The Plan

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII. I do own X, X-2, and XII but I borrowed VIII from a friend.

And sorry about the spelling errors. I was in a rush for the past couple of chapters. I hope that doesn't keep you guys from reading! I really can spell!

* * *

Quistis took a left on Anders street. She was heading for Publix to buy a gallon of Publix Moo-linium Crunch ice cream. She loved Publix; shopping there was always a pleasure. But right now, she wasn't thinking about pleasurable shopping or Blue Bell ice cream. A plan was quickly formulating in her mind.

"Seifer, babe, I need your help."

"Sure, baby. What's up?"

"Well, my sister is going through minor depression right now because your brother broke up with her."

On the other line, Quistis could tell that Seifer was eating. In the background, she could hear someone else talking. "No, its not Rinoa! Sheesh. Sorry, I was talking to Squall here. He seems angry and depressed all in one." Next there was a thud and Seifer's voice yelling, "Dude! Get offa me! I'm sorry alright. Gosh. Anyway, he should've broken up with her."

"I'm have every right and piece of mind to hang up this phone, but I'm not gonna do that. Squall probably told you what he saw, but that's not the full story."

She could hear him get quieter so that Squall wouldn't hear what he said. "Speak, babe."

She told him and Seifer was quiet the whole time, even a few minutes after she was done talking. Then he said, "Whoa. Ethan was always obsessed with women, but I didn't know he was like that!"

"Yeah. So can you help me?" She parked and got out.

"Can I know what it is exactly that you need help with first?"

"Sure. Well see, you know that date we have on Friday?" Quistis walked in, directly to the frozen food aisle.

"Wait, are you still going?"

"Yes, sweetie. I'm still going. Anyway, Rinoa wants to work this whole problem out with Squall, but she knows that he won't talk to her. So I was thinking that we make them talk to each other." Taking the frozen treat, she went to the line and paid.

"And how exactly are we going to do that?" She heard a door close and thought that Seifer must've gone to his room.

"Well, when I come to your apartment, I'll bring Rinoa with me. I don't think she knows that we all live in the same building yet. That way, while we're gone, they can sort through it all. Do you think that'll work?" Walking out, Quitis went to her car and put the ice cream in the passenger seat. Backing out, she made her way back home.

"It might. Just remember, you can lead the horse to water, but you can't make him drink. And trust me, my brother is as stubborn as a mule."

"I wonder where he gets it from." She heard him huff through the phone and laughed. Well, I gotta go give my sister girl-break-up treatment."

"Let me guess: ice cream?"

"Ice cream _and_ brownies. Aren't I awesome?"

"Just wonderful, sweetheart. See ya later."

"Okay. Bye!"

* * *

Quistis walked into the apartment looking around. There wasn't any sight or sound of her other sister. "Rinoa?" she called. No answer. She sat the ice cream on the kitchen table. "Rinoa?" she called again. The light brunette stopped and sniffed the air. There was a smell of something. . . . chocolate maybe?

Quistis went into the kitchen and looked at the oven--it was on. Walking over to it, she opened the door and inhaled the heavy scent. "Well," she mumbled, "I guess Rin didn't want me to make them. She always could cook better."

"Yeah, I could." Rinoa walked in and saw her sister peeping in the oven. She giggled and her older sibling turned to look at her.

The brunette heaved a sigh of relief. "You scared me. I thought you had committed suicide or something."

Rinoa looked thoughtful for a moment. "That doesn't sound so bad."

"Girl! Quit playing with me and let's eat something good!"

* * *

And there's number ten! I feel really good. And I would like to thank Azarethian Titan for his/her reviews and critisism. I really appreciate it and it really helps.

See? No spelling errors!


	11. The Setup

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII. I do own X, X-2, and XII but I borrowed VIII from a friend.

Thank you for being so very patient with me. I really appreciate it.

And now, for the final chapter! . . . I think . . .Mwhahahahahaah

* * *

All that week, Rinoa had been sad. She missed seeing him and talking to him. She missed his floppy brown hair and scar. She loved his beautifal grey blue eyes; the storminess in them made her calm. She had felt safe in his arms all those times.

And now, he was gone.

Squall, no matter how much he hated to admit it, missed Rinoa, too. He wanted to hold her again, kiss her. But he couldn't do that. He was angry and that anger was keeping him away for her. It was keeping them apart.

And he couldn't stand it.

It got to the point where the both of them wanted to go to the other's house and apoligize. They only problem with Rinoa was that she knew Squall wouldn't talk to her. She also didn't know where he lived(Yes, she still didn't know!) Squall wouldn't go because . . . well . . . he was angry. Totally pissed. He'd even been avoiding his favorite bakery in the world, just because he was afriad that he'd see Rinoa.

But nothing would prepare them for Friday.

* * *

She was checking her hair in the mirror, waiting for the call. After about five minutes, she got it. 

"Hello?"

"Hey, babe. Are you ready?" They both knew what he meant.

"Yeah. I just have to place this clip . . . There! Okay, is he there? I'll be there soon with . . . the package."

"Yes, the recipient is here. Listen, should we just switch roles?"

"No! I already said that I'm bringing the package. Besides, he already knows where we live. That would mess everything up. Rinoa . . . I mean the package, doesn't know that."

"Oh yeah . . . Do you think we should go to pick her up or just go straight to your apartment?"

"I don't think it'll get that serious."

"If it gets serious at all."

"Shut up. I have perfect confidence in my match-making abilities. Just let me bring her here, and it'll go from there."

"You sure?"

"Trust me, Seif. It'll work."

* * *

Rinoa followed her sister down the hall and into the elevator. She was already confused about why she was leaving the apartment, and even more confused when they started traveling up instead of down.

"Umm . . . Quisty? . . ."

"Don't worry. I'm just leaving you with a siter so that you don't get any ideas."

The younger playfully snapped her fingers. "Darn it. Wait, don't you have a date with Seifer?" she asked as they got off. "Where are we going?"

They stopped at apartment 276 and Quistis knocked on the door. When it opened, Rinoa's mouth was agape and Quistis answered slyly, "To get Seifer."

At that moment, Seifer walked out, taking Quistis' arm into his on. Rinoa still stood there. "Well," Seifer said, "go in. He's there, in the kitchen."

As they walked down the hall, Rinoa mumbled, "Oh wonderful. My sister has set me up. And _his _being here just gives me more reason for me to_ not _be here." As she closed the door behind her, she took a glance to the kitchen. Squall was there, poking his head around in the pantry. _When did Quistis decide to be match-maker again? After the Shannon/Robert incident that I had to clean up, I thought I'd banned her. _

Rinoa quietly made her way to the couch and sat down. She sighed under her breath and waited. She waited for him to see her and . . . and . . . do what? Squall didn't seem like the type of guy who would yell at or hit women. Just ignore them.

* * *

Squall heard the door close and sighed. His brother had finally left on his date. Now for some peace-and-quiet.

Or so he thought.

Squall had just gotten some Frosted Flakes from the shelf and sat them on the counter when he saw her. Her beautiful black hair was on one side of her face-the side with him on it. He scoffed and she looked up. They locked eyes for a minute, but then he averted his gaze to the box of cereal before him. Pouring it so that it filled a little more than half the bowl, he went to the refridgerator to get milk. It took him a while to find it-Seifer always put it in the back just to piss him off-and when he did, Squall poured that in so that it reached the top-just barely.

Putting the milk back, he grabbed a spoon from a drawer and began to it his cereal. Squall walked into the living room leaning on the wall. Rinoa wouldn't look at him. A part of him-okay, well, most of him-wanted, no, needed her to look. But he could tell that she was afarid to. So, he thought of a way to start a conversation.

"What are you doing here?"

Okay, maybe not the best conversation starter.

She fiddled with her fingers for a bit and said, "I don't even know."

"Some you didn't come with Quistis?"

Rinoa clenched her fist and her head shot. She told him, "Yes, but I didn't know that we were coming_ here. _I wish you would quit blaming me for stuff when you don't even know what the hell you're talking about."

Squall wasn't the type to show shock, and wasn't about to start with her. The fact was, though, he was really surprised. Never had he seen Rinoa so fiesty. _Except at the library . . ._

"Well, I'm sorry."

"You don't sound like you mean it."

"I don't." He knew he was lying, but did she need to know that?

"Then what's the point in saying it?"

He shrugged. "To make you feel better." Even though it was the truth, he tried to hide that by making his voice sound taunting.

It worked.

Rinoa got up and walked to the door. She turned the knob and stopped. "Dammit," she mumbled. "Quistis took my keys." She huffed and sat back down on the sofa. She didn't do anything more-not even turn on the tv-because she was afraid it would anger Squall.

They sat in silence, except for the occasional munching of Squall's cereal. When he was done, the quietness stretched out to spooky. It reached every corner of the apartment, and Rinoa finally got tired of it.

She looked up and Squall and said, "I think I've figured it out."

He didn't seem a bit angry. Actually, his eyes were closed as he leaned against the wall. "Figured what out?"

"That your brother and my sister have set us up."

He opened one eye, looking skeptical all the while. "How so?"

"Well, I didn't know that you and Seifer lived here until today. Quistis found it the perfect opportunity to bring me here because of what I didn't know. I find it too much of a coincidence for Quistis to find it easier to bring me here on the day that she has a date, don't you?"

He was thoughtful for a moment. "You, know, my brother has been pretty . . . suspicious all week. Now I know why." He glanced her for a moment and sighed.

They were silent for about a couple of minutes and then Rinoa said quietly, "You know why I was brought here, right?"

At that moment, Squall huffed and got off the wall stroding to his room. Rinoa got up and ran in front of him, turning around. The tears were coming, but not falling, and her limbs were outstretched so that he couldn't past her. He glared doen at her, a warning that she should move. She shook her head, black locks spilling out over her shoulders.

"Move," he growled.

"No," she whispered.

"I can move you and you know it."

She looked up at him then, desperate. "Don't you see?! They're trying to . . . to . . ."

"To what? Help? Put us back together? I'm sorry, but that's not happening." Looking at her, he sighed. Squall didn't want to hurt her, but he didn't want to stand there forever, either.

Her lower lip quivered and her arms shook. "Why not? Why won't you listen to me?!" Her voice broke and she nearly fell, but Squall caught her. She looked up into his stormy abyss, tears like rivers down her cheeks. She shook her head vigorously and squirmed. Oh, how she longed for him to hold her like he was now, but she also wanted to get away. Rinoa felt his arms realease and she ran to the couch. Sitting down, the raven-haired girl buried her face in her hands and wept. She hated letting go in front of him like this, but she also thought that it didn't matter anymore.

Squall, looking at her in this stae, felt so bad. He wanted to hold her, to help in the way that he had once before. But, like before, he was mad.

_So what? You know something's not right! You know how much you care about her! Why won't you listen? _His sub-conscience nagged at him like fish on a hook.

_But she kissed another man!_

_But you know she wouldn't do something like that if the story's not right!_

Squall stopped his inner battle and thought about that for a second. His sub-conscience was right. Rinoa wouldn't do somthing like that.

He sighed-for like the millionth time that day-and walked over to the couch. Looking down at her, he sat beside her and she looked up. The raven-haired girl met his gaze, her eyes puffy and red from crying. She would've looked away if he had put a finger under her chin. Her chocolate orbs showed shock at first as he wiped away her tears. He looked at her, long and hard, and finally asked, "Why don't you tell me what I don't want to hear?" Giving her a small smile, he wiped away a few more tears, thinking all the while, _Why can she do this to me?_

Rinoa took a deep breath to stop her hiccupping, at which Squall laughed. When she was done, Rinoa told him everything, never leaving out a single detail. When she finished, Rinoa took a another small breath and searched Squall's face. The shock was obvious, but there was something else. Anger? Jealously(ofwhat?)? Then Rinoa smiled because something else became very, very clear: forgiveness and sympathy.

It took another two minutes of deep, controlled breathing and closed eyes for Squall to get himself totally calm. He opened his eyes to see Rinoa's beautiful smile. He smiled back and said, "Well, is this the part where I apoligize?"

Rinoa's smile brightened and she told him, "You don't have to." With that, she kissed him.

This kiss wasn't the same as others. It was repairing what was lost, and, at the same time, telling all of their feelings.

His hands slipped under her shirt, and she squirmed, maoning into his mouth. How she ended up lying on him, she doesn't know, but all of a sudden, the doorknob turned and in walked Quistis and Seifer. Seifer shook his head and said, "Now what did mother say about making out on the couch?"

* * *

Oh yes, peoples! Ch. 11, baby! Did you like it, peoples? Hmm? Reveiw, please, and tell me all of what yous guys think!

Who thinks this is the last chapter? Because, isn't something missing? Did they say it? Either review or PM me if you know what I'm talking about. In the next chapter(if there is one(MWHAHA), I will say who got it right.

Thanks for reading!

This story is not going to be updated until I get at least five answers to my question(s).


	12. Special Love

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII. I do own X, X-2, and XII but I borrowed VIII from a friend.

You know what? Fine! Don't answer my question. You people probably didn't know the answer to it anyways . . .

* * *

He rolled off of her, panting hard and unevenly. Hopefully, he hadn't hurt her, even though he knew he had. Looking over at the beautiful mass beside him, he smiled. She was in the same tired state as him. "Rinoa?"

At the the sound of her name, Rinoa's eyes snapped open and she snuggled up to Squall's chest. He wrapped her arms around her slender waist and sighed. After about another five minutes of panting and catching their breath, she whispered, "Thank you. That was so amazing."

Squall smiled and asked, "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Well at first, it hurt, but then it eased out and became pure pleasure." She sighed and looked up at him. "I never thought, never dreamed, that it could be so wonderful. Thank you so much."

"Rinoa, why did you do this with me? You've had three boyfriends between the ages of fifteen and now, and I've only had one girlfriend. You've never had sex and I've done it once. Why did you decide to wait until I came along?"

She giggled. "Well, isn't it obvious. I fel different about you. I love you, Squall."

He looked into her chocolate brown eyes with his stormy blue ones and murmured, "I love you, too."

* * *

Yes, I know its short, but tough. You wouldn't answer my question . . . well it was going to be short anyway, but still.

Just so you know, this takes place about a month after the last chapter.

I really hope you guys enjoyed this fic. Thanks for reading!


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